Zootopia: Darkest Days
by Kodiwolf321
Summary: Waking up in a strange place is only the beginning along with secrets to be uncovered. Can Thomas help Nick, Judy and their friends uncover the real reason why Zootopia was invaded? AU and T for safely. Collab with AtticusParker17. (Remastered Chapters from Prologue to Chapter 3: Run are now posted)
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

"Ah...what..where?" Was all Thomas could manage opened his eyes. He was staring up at the ceiling of a moving van and his heart was racing. He couldn't see any light from where he was laying on his side. After taking a moment to regain himself he sat up feeling something wet on the back of his head. It was blood.

"Where am I?" Thomas said aloud again with less of a haze behind his words. Suddenly a bright white shined across his face. Thomas squinted slightly as he tried to make out the figure that was shining the light on him. "Hello?" Thomas asked, with a hard swallow.

There was no answer, it was only the bright white light between Thomas and whoever was behind it. The light then turned off to reveal two glowing crimson eyes. Thomas's eyes widened but he still mustered the strength to stand. No sooner had he done that did the van come to a stop. The figure came forward and grabbed him by the neck. "Who…. are... you...?" Thomas tried to get his words out. The figure didn't speak. Without he was slammed down on the ground and scanned on his left arm. He screamed in pain as he tried to fight off whatever was on top of him.

The figure took its hand off Thomas's throat and fastened something onto his neck,,locking it together. The darkness was so thick, he couldn't see what was being forced onto him. The figure then kicked opened the door and showed its face. It was some kind of robot or a drone. It picked up Thomas and threw him out of the van down a long rocky hill. He hit darn near every rock on the way down. Upon reaching the bottom, Thomas weakly forced himself to turn and look up the long hill. He watched the drone close the doors of the van and drive away. The stiffness in his battered body kept him from getting up again. Thomas slowly closed his eyes, feeling darkness take him, but not before hearing the faint echo of someone near. "What's that over there?" Asked a soft female voice. "Stay away him! He's human," Said a male voice. Thomas's vision was too blurry to see who was looking down at hm. "Hel… Help…. Me….." Was all the defeated teen could manage.

 **(Dream)**

Thomas was chained to a chair while what he could only assume to be doctors were hooking things up to his body. "What are you doing to me?" He asked with a bit of fear in his tone. The doctors only smiled as were done hooking things up. They left the room while Thomas tried to get himself free from the chair but realized he was secured tight.

Without warning he felt a hard shock go through his body. "Ouch! Hey what's going on here! Let me out!" Thomas cried out. Another burning shock went through his body. "Help somebody!" He cried out again, but no one came to help. After a few hours of torture, he felt his energy begin to slip away.

Thomas panted deeply in his chair as he heard someone approach him. His head felt heavy, which made looking up an impossible task. He only heard a male voice. "He's the one, send him to the The Lantern District with the others," said a male deep electronic voice. Thomas's eyes fluttered shut as he passed out.

 **(Waking up from dream)**

Thomas opened his eyes slowly as he noticed he was laying in a bed and inside some kind of large pod. He slowly sat up from the bed, but felt an immediate sharp pain in the back of his head. It felt like a slow stabbing sensation. As if to distract himself he looked to his right, noticing something on an end table. There was a plate with a pill on and a cup of fresh water. A note lay next to the water in a neat fold. He picked up the note and read it.

"Eat the pill and drink the water," Thomas read aloud. With added care he picked up the pill and downed it with some water. He noticed, much to his bewilderment, that he was wearing a collar. He set down the water and tried to take it off. A sudden shock went through collar "Ouch! What the hell?!" Thomas said to himself as he quickly moved his hands away. He noticed a bar code on his left arm with the numbers "62585".

On instinct the teen gently ran the tips of his fingers along them. It was tattooed on his body for god knows what. Suddenly he heard a crash that sounded just in front of him. Thomas looked up to notice a small female rabbit wearing a police officer's uniform and the same kind of collar that he was wearing was staring at him. Thomas was speechless at what he was looking at. Suddenly The rabbit spoke up. "Um Nick! He's awake!" Shouted the rabbit.

This Nick, a fox with a green Hawaiian shirt and tan brown pants also wearing a collar walked behind the rabbit. "Okay… Kid this might be a little too much for right now but I need you to stay calm and let's talk this through," Nick said trying to keep things calm. Thomas was scared out of his mind at the moment. 'Talking animals?' He thought to himself.

Nick held out both of paws in surrender as he attempted to approach Thomas. "Easy kid I just want to talk," Nick said in a calm tone. 'Fuck that!' Thomas thought and looked around for the door. It was just behind the two animals before him. Thomas jumped up off the bed and pushed Nick out the way then headed for the exit. "Judy grab him!" Nick shouted. Thomas jumped over Judy and headed out of the pod.

He ran out of the pod and into an open clearing where other pods, like the one he was in, were settled. Other walking and talking animals were watching him with slight curiosity. Thomas was so scared that he couldn't get his mind to think straight. This was bad considering he was usually very level headed. He stood there in the middle of the field as the other animals were watching his every move to see what he'd do. "Stop that kid!" Nick shouted as he stumbled out of the pod in an attempt to chase the teen in question. Judy was already running after Thomas who, in turn, started running again towards the forest ahead.

She pursued Thomas through the small area of forest until they came to the rock wall. Thomas stopped on his tracks as soon as he saw the pretty sizable obstacle. "Damn it," Thomas cursed as he tried to climb but kept falling down. "Hey wait! We don't want to hurt you!" Judy said in softer tone than Nick's had been as she slowly walked up to Thomas, who was still trying to climb. He gave up and glared at Judy. "Where am I?" Thomas said trying slow down his breathing.

Judy smiled putting her ears up. "Well you're in a place we like to call The Lantern District," Judy said with a smile. Thomas nodded in slight understanding. "Okay The Lantern District okay… Um…. how come you can talk?" Thomas asked. Judy was surprised by this as she walked up closer to Thomas. "What do you mean? Don't all animals talk where you're from?" Judy asked, already knowing the answer.

Thomas shook his head. "No. Only fake internet ones and in movies," He answered. Judy was still confused. "Well here..where I'm from. Everyone talks," Judy said with a smile. Before Thomas could open his mouth. Nick ran right up behind Judy. "Okay! Party is over! Can we please walk back home before the next care package drops?" Nick panted heavily, almost out of breath.

"Care package?" Thomas questioned Nick opened his muzzle to say something but then a jet flew over them and dropped a care package in the middle of the field. "That care package," Nick said as he started walking back towards the fields. Thomas stood there looking down at the ground. Judy turned to look at Nick and cleared her throat and called his name. "Um Nick," Judy said while tapping her rabbit foot. Nick turned and looked at Judy. "What?" Nick asked distractedly as he waved his arms in the air.

Judy nodded her head towards Thomas who was still standing there. The fox sighed and directed his attention towards him. "Look kid. You might as well just come with us. Because you're going nowhere here. That collar you're wearing will shock you if you try to take it off or if you try to escape and this is a giant crater with fences that has barbed wire on them," Nick explained before walked away. Judy looked at Thomas and chuckled. "Don't worry about Nick is just a little cranky since you pushed him. But he will loosen up," Judy said with a smile.

Thomas forced a smile and nodded. "But listen. You're the first human we've seen in six years and everyone might not be so welcoming at first but They'll get use to you," Judy said in a serious tone. Thomas nodded. "But what do you mean the first human in six years?" He asked. Judy crossed his arms and tapped her foot. "I'll explain more when we get back to camp and by the looks of the bar code on your arm. You seem pretty important," She gestured to the tattoo on Thomas's arm.

He looked at the bar code on his arm and covered it with his right hand. "Come on carrots!" Nick shouted. Thomas sighed as looked at Judy who forced a smile on her face. It wasn't as comforting as she hoped it would be. "We better get going," She said with a chuckle. Thomas nodded as he walked side by side with Judy. "So I didn't catch your name," She said as they walked together. "It's Thomas," the boy answered as he walked and Judy hopped beside him. "That's a nice name. My name is Judy Hopps and well... you already met Nick of course," She said with a smile. Thomas nodded before answering. "Yeah," He said putting his hands in his pocket.

* * *

 **XxTHOMASxX A/N: This is a remastered version all edited by my pal AtticusParker17 and this is now a collab with me and him. And let me tell you what! this is going to epic all the way!**


	2. Unknown Memory

**Chapter 1: Unknown Memory**

As the sun started to touch the hills, Thomas, Judy, and Nick walked out of the forest and headed to the middle of the field where everyone was getting together and grabbing things from the care package. Thomas was a little nervous since he ran off and everyone was already staring at him. "I feel very sick," He said trying to collect himself. All of this was still very difficult to absorb.

Judy looked up at him with a reassuring smile. "You'll be fine, once you have some Mr. Otterton's homemade soup," She said as walked over to the fire pit that was in the middle of their village. "There's nothing like it. Worth a taste that's for sure." She sat down on a log and turned to see Thomas just standing there with his arms behind his back.

"I can't." He said in a low voice as other animals were staring as they walked by him. "Hopps! Get that kid a seat before he falls over!" Demanded a buffalo wearing a police uniform. "On it sir!" Judy obeyed, hopping off the log to assist Thomas and help him over to the log for a place to sit. He was starting to look a slight green.

The teen shook his head and stared at the ground as if it'd give him answers. "Now Thomas can you tell us anything you know about well… anything?" Judy asked with a soft tone. He lifted his head to see everyone was looking at him except for Nick. He swallowed hard and shook his head vigorously in an attempt to remember something. But there was nothing. " I…. I… I can't remember anything," Thomas said looking back down accepting defeat.

Everyone sighed and went on to their business. Nick walked up to the bonfire and laid down some fire wood down to kindle it. In less than a minute there was a steady fire. The sly fox sat back on the log next to Judy and started poking the fire with a stick. "I told he wouldn't know anything," Nick said still tending to the fire. Judy sighed deeply at her partner's less than helpful words of confidence. The rabbit didn't hold it against him though.

She looked at Thomas and patted him on the back. "Your memory might recover in a few days time," Judy said with a smile.

Nick only rolled his eyes as continued with the fire. "What am I supposed to know?" Thomas asked. Judy opened her mouth to say something but Nick beat her to it. "You're suppose to know what we're all doing here and who sent you and all that stuff," Nick said in slight frustration before throwing down a stick.

Thomas looked at Nick. "And what about me? I think I need some answers. I mean why are we here in the prison?" Thomas asked, still pondering the need for a rock wall. Nick only chuckled as he stared into the burning fire. The light of the embers had a beautiful flicker effect on his emerald green eyes. "We thought you would know," Nick said aloud then turned his attention to the boy sitting to his right. Thomas was a little confused. "What do mean by that?" He asked. Nick sighed and looked back at the fire. "Because, before you there were originally 12 of us. 6 prey and 6 predators. Now we have one human and humans are the worst of the predators," Nick said as he stood and walked away. "I thought maybe you'd have the answers considering you're the odd one out." He left with an agitated flourish of his tail.

Judy didn't say anything for a moment while what Nick said lingered. After a moment she addressed Thomas. "We know about humans because…. They invaded zootopia. Our home. They took us away from there and brought us here, the lantern district as they call it, for...well..six years. We Don't what has happened to the outside world," Judy explained.

Thomas nodded in slight understanding. "I'm sorry. I wish there was more I could do for all of you," He said and swallowed hard. Judy nodded. Thomas thought to himself as he looked away from Judy. 'The man who sent me here in my dream. Could he be important? What'd he have to do with all this?' He thought. Judy moved off the log and walked over to where Mr. Otterton was making fresh soup. Thomas stayed where he was on the log just stared at the fire.

'How do I know of I can trust these guys?' Thomas thought to himself. He looked behind him and noticed everyone was still watching him. 'But they seem like they're in trouble,' He turned forward and picked up the stick that Nick was poking the fire and started kindling the fire himself. 'Maybe I should just keep everything to myself,' Thomas thought to himself as he poked the fire. Nick watched him poke the fire while Judy walked up to him. "Hey," Judy tapped his shoulder softly. Nick didn't say anything, he only crossed his arms. Judy stood next to him and looked back at Thomas. "Carrots. I really don't trust this kid," Nick admitted while his eyes were trained on the teen.

Judy sighed softly. She expected this from the moment she realized the newest prisoner was a human. Naturally most Furs of zootopia hated humans and for good reason. Judy however, had...her own reasons for liking them. If not for that, Thomas may not have made it. Not that anyone would have killed him but...they might have just left him to die..

"Nick we have to give him a chance. I mean he might not know anything now, but he might know something later down the road," Judy reasoned in a calm voice. Nick only shook his head before looking at Judy. "And how long before he turns on the rest of us?" Nick asked with an obvious look of resentment in his eyes. Judy lowered her ears and kicked a little rock.

"Nick that's not going to happen I'm sure of it," Judy said, looking back up at her friend. Nick opened up his mouth to say something but nothing came out. Judy took a deep breath before speaking up again. "I'll keep my eye on him, but I'm telling you this now. He's not like them," She nodded and started walking back over to Thomas. Nick only shook his head once more as he made his way over to Mr. Otterton and started helping with the soup.

Thomas looked down at his bar code tattoo and touched it. He started to get a headache as flashes of the drone smacking him against the ground and scanning the tattoo on him raced through his mind. "Hey," Judy made herself known as she walked up to him. Her voice broke him out of his thoughts and he turned to look at her. She had a curious look on her face despite him playing it cool.

"Hey," Thomas said when Judy saw next to him once more. "The rest of us don't have a bar code like that," she said looking at the tattoo. Thomas looked down at the tattoo and touched it again. "I woke up in a van and this drone attacked me. Before I could even defend myself he put this tattoo on me", He said still looking at the tattoo. Judy gasped in surprise. "Then I was thrown from the top of that hill and ended up here," Thomas explained. Judy lowered her ears. "Is that all you remember?" Judy asked. Thomas said nothing but nodded.

Judy nodded in her response. "Okay," Was all she said. Thomas lowered his head into his knees and tried to think of anything else, but couldn't. The two just sat there until dinner was ready. Later that evening Judy showed Thomas where he would sleep and it wasn't quite the room you would expect. It was pretty small for one but.. "Your bunking me here?" He asked as he and Judy walked into Nick's cabin. "Isn't this Nick's space?"

"Yep," Judy said with a slightly mischievous smile. Thomas really wasn't sure about this. Was she trying to set them up as friends? If so this was not the best way to go about it. "I don't this is such a good idea," Thomas sounded a bit uneasy, crossing his arms as a result. Judy tapped her foot and crossed her arms as well. "You'll be safe here. Nick won't hurt you," She reassured and stopped tapping her foot. Thomas looked down to the ground and thought for a moment before answering, "Okay."

"Okay so you'll be on this side of the cabin," Judy explained as she showed him where his quarters would be. Thomas followed Judy to his side of the cabin as she showed him his bed. "You'll sleep here and Nick will sleep on the that side," She said pointing behind them. Thomas turned around and looked at Nick's bed before looking down at Judy. "Are you sure about this?" Thomas asked nervously. Judy looked up at him. "Thomas you worry too much," She said with a smile. Nick walked in the cabin with a frown on his face. "Oh so you're bunking him here with me?" Nick said in a rude tone.

His annoyance didn't go unnoticed by the boy and the bunny. Judy chuckled softly then walked over to the entrance of the cabin. "You guys should be able to handle things on your own now right?" The rabbit clapped her paws together and slowly stepping out of the cabin. Nick only rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Okay I'll see you guys in the morning," Judy said before leaving Thomas and Nick together. Nick looked at Thomas and just studied him. "Here are the rules in my cabin. You stay on your side and I'll stay on my mine. Stay away from my stuff and I'll stay away from yours. Got it?" Nick explained. Thomas nodded in response not that he had any stuff. Nick nodded in turn. "Good. Lets keep it that way until we build you your own cabin," Nick said as he took off some covers from his bed. Thomas nodded again as he was getting into his own bed.

"Lights out in five kid," Nick said before having a sip of water that was sitting next to his bed on the nightstand. "What about a bathroom?" Thomas asked. Nick turned and looked at him with a less than amused look on his face.

"That's in the pod where you woke up. All you have to go in there and there's a bathroom inside," Nick explained. Thomas nodded before turning away from Nick and looking towards the wall. He and Nick didn't say anything for the five minutes of waiting for lights out. Nick then turned out the lights once the five minutes were up. Thomas remained laying on his left side away from Nick. Without much resistance the boy was out like the lights his new roommate had turned off

* * *

 **XxTHOMASxX A/N This is another remastered version all edited by my pal AtticusParker17 and I give him my thanks for doing all thse remastered chapters.**


	3. Deadline

**Chapter 2: Deadline**

Thomas opened his eyes slowly almost forgetting where he was. He rolled over on his side and noticed that Nick was gone from his bed. Thomas took a deep breath and sat up from his bed. After taking a moment to rub the sand from his eyes he noticed something at the end of his bed. There was a green jacket with his name on it. The teen got out of bed and put on the vibrant looking coat.

It fit like a glove and it didn't look too bad when he looked in the mirror. When he saw himself it was like looking at someone else. Just then it occurred to him he hadn't looked in a mirror since he woke here. "Oh good you're up!" Judy hopped into the bedroom. Thomas turned and looked at her as she walked right up next to him. "So we have some work to do on the other side of pond," The rabbit said as she leaned against the door and crossed her arms. "Work?" Thomas asked Judy chuckled. "We have a job of picking up some fruits and vegetables," Judy nodded with a smile.

Thomas nodded as he rubbed the back of his neck. "That jacket sure suites you too," Judy's eyes fell on the nice jacket. "Um yeah… who made it?" Thomas asked. She walked over to him for a better look at it. He kneeled down to her level so she could get in closer to him. "Well… it looks like the work is Mrs. Otterton's," Judy said with a smile. Thomas nodded and stood back up. "Then I guess before we go I should thank her," He said as he and Judy both walked out of the cabin.

Everyone was working on their projects while Thomas and Judy walked through the field. Although Thomas was still new and still didn't have the answers that everyone was hoping for, everyone still looked at him strange. Like all the sudden he'd be hit with an epiphany or something.

Thomas and Judy both walked along the pond to try to stay clear from everyone else. "Judy!" Mrs. Otterton called out to them and approached. "Mrs, Otterton we were just about to go and see you," Judy said with a smile. "Oh really?" Mrs. Otterton chuckled and smiled. "I'm glad we both came looking for each other then, I wanted to see how our new guest likes his new coat," She looked at her handiwork.

Thomas looked at his coat and then looked back at Mrs. Otterton. "Thank you so much," He said in a light timid tone. "Oh you're so welcome dear," Mrs. Otterton replied with a genuine smile. "Well we better get going before Chief bogo gets on our tails," Judy chimed in and put her paws on her hips. Mrs. Otterton nodded as she waved good bye.

Thomas and Judy both took the path around the pond to get to the other side. Nick watched them walk away as with crossed his arms. "Do you trust this kid Wilde?" Bogo asked. He was standing next to the fox with an equal look of skepticism. However, there was rarely a time when the bull didn't look like that. "No I don't. He ain't gonna cut it. Judy seems to think he will though," Nick replied as he twitched his ears. He had to admit it ticked him off to see his best friend with that..boy.

"He might be our only chance Wilde. The kid was sent here for a reason and I don't think being here for six years was for nothing," Bogo said before getting back to work. Nick knew that Bogo had point about this kid. But with the experience that Nick had with a human six years ago. He wasn't going to risk it all for a kid.

As Thomas and Judy walked along the pond, Judy started asking some questions. Perhaps it'd jog his memory. "Do you remember anything or still blink?" Judy asked. Thomas looked down at her. "Still blank," He answered. Judy lowered her ears. "Oh," she responded just as they made it to their destination. "Alright so… we've been doing this for six years and never failed getting this kind of food," Judy explained then started pulling on some potatoes and carrots. "Don't the care packages get you guys food?" Thomas asked as he helped her pull. "Well sometimes," Judy answered. She put some carrots on a wagon close to them. "It all depends on if we're lucky," She responded and walked back over to Thomas who was pulling tomatoes.

"If you're lucky?" He questioned, putting the vegetables in the wagon. Judy took a deep breath. She clearly wanted to word this carefully. "You see… these collars also can tell when we're all going hungry or thirsty," She started to explain. "And a few years ago we lost some of our group to hunger and Dehydration. It wasn't easy at first but we did survive." Judy explained after putting another load of vegetables in the wagon. They didn't say much else after that. Next Thomas and Judy moved down to a nearby tree that had apples in it. "Hey Thomas could you help me up onto that branch?" Judy asked. Thomas nodded as he picked Judy and helped her onto the low hanging branch.

He then brought over the wagon so Judy could just drop the apples down. Thomas watched as the rabbit got to work, but could hear some kind of beeping sound near him. "Hey judy do you hear that?" He asked, looking around slightly. Judy perked her ears up. "Yeah I do...what is that?" Judy asked. Thomas walked around the tree.

"It's coming from in between these bushes," Thomas gestured to the thick bushes in front of him. When he moved them a look of surprise spread across his eyes. "Um Judy… you might want to take a look at this," Thomas said with a tone of concern. Judy jumped down from the tree and walked over to where Thomas was looking at. "Woah," She said looking at the metal door In between the bushes. Judy placed her paws on the handle and tried to open the door but it wouldn't budge.

"Huh… it might need some kind of key or something," Judy relented, letting go of the door. Thomas looked at the door closely and noticed that there's some kind of scanner on it. The first thing that came to mind was the barcode on his arm. "Maybe this might work," Thomas added as he put his arm on the scanner. The door suddenly popped open causing Judy and Thomas to jump back. "You did it!" Judy cheered as she went forward and opened the door more.

The two both looked down into the hole and found what looked to be a underground bunker. Thomas and Judy both looked at each other. "Should we go inside?" Judy asked. Thomas shook his head. "Maybe we should go get the others," He suggested. Judy chuckled. "Nah….What's the worse that could happen?' She said as she pulled out her phone and turned on its flashlight.

She went down first leaving Thomas on the surface. "Judy wait for me," Thomas said as he went down after her. Hopefully she was right about there being nothing to worry about. Thomas and Judy came into a large dark room. "Do you think you can find a light switch or something?" He asked, hardly being able to see two feet in front of him. "Maybe," Judy said as she looked around with her phone flashlight.

She bumped into something hard and cold. "Ouch," she groaned as she shined her flashlight on the thing she bumped into. It was a desk with a keyboard and desktop computer. She shined her flashlight on a red button. "Judy I don't think you should…." Thomas began but Judy was already pressing the button. "Never mind.." All of sudden all of the lights came on and the computer switched to life with an eight hour timer.

"Oh no," Judy sighed looking at the timer as the time started counting down. "Eight hours until a deadline?" Thomas questioned as he walked over to Judy who staring at the countdown. "What did I just do?" She said with a hint of fear in her voice. "Okay let's our cool maybe there's something in here that can tell us what's going on," Thomas reasoned and started looking around. Judy nodded, doing the same but there was nothing to be found. "Maybe we should go get Nick," He suggested. Judy took a step back away from the computer. "Yeah I think your right," She said as she started to go back up to the surface with Thomas in tow. When they emerged the two started running back to the others.

"Nick!" Judy called out as she ran towards the fox. "What happened?! Did he hurt you?" Nick said as he started to make fists with his paws. Judy stopped in front of nick and kept him from trying to hurt Thomas. "No he didn't hurt me. There's something we have to show you," She confessed. Nick looked at Judy with a confused expression. "Show me what?" He asked with his arms crossed.

"Something that might be the answer to all of this," Thomas spoke up. Nick then tilted his head to the left in increasing confusion with a tinge of intrigue. "Alright you have my attention kid," He nodded and uncrossed his arms. Judy turned then led the way back to the underground bunker. Thomas and Nick both followed quickly behind her as she ran ahead. The group of three stood in front if the door that led into the underground bunker. "Is this some kind of joke or something?" Nick asked looking at Thomas. He glared at Nick. What was this fox's deal? "This isn't a joke this is serious," Judy said as she opened up the door and started to go down into the bunker.

"This is crazy carrots!" Nick called out to her but she was already halfway down. With a deep grown he started to go down after to Judy. Thomas followed them down shortly after. Now in the bunker, Nick's eyes almost popped out of his head after seeing the count down. "What does this mean?" He asked as he moved closer to the computer. "We don't exactly know what this means but it means something," Judy said lowering her ears. Thomas held his arm with the barcode tattooed on his arm.

"Seven hours until deadline," the computer spoke with a woman's voice. Judy and Nick both looked at each other. "what do you think going to happen in seven hours?" Judy asked looking at Nick with a worried look on her face. Nick looked down at her with a worried expression. "I don't know carrots, but this might change everything we know," Nick said looking back at the count down. Thomas sat down against the wall and just watched the numbers on the screen slowly decrease. Nick and Judy both talked among themselves about what's going to happen.

Thomas continued to stare at the count down clock. He looked away from it for a second and started to hear voices in his head. He could slightly hear the electronic voice. The person who was behind all of this pain for Nick, Judy and all their friends and families. He tried to cover his ears to block out all the whispers, but that didn't work at all. If anything they got louder. "Night… howler" Thomas whispered to himself.

Nick and Judy both looked at Thomas. "What did you say kid?" Nick asked as he walked over to Thomas. Thomas's head started to hurt after hearing more whispers. "Nick I think you should leave him alone," Judy said now noticing that Thomas was now holding his head. "Hey Thomas. Stay with me kid," Nick said as he snap his fingers at him. Thomas's head suddenly stopped hurting. The voices were very clear now. One word was spoken. One word to change everything. One word that repeated itself over and over like a broken record. Thomas then looked up at Nick and Judy. "Nighthowler," Thomas said simply.

* * *

 **XxTHOMASxX A/N: again this a remastered version what do you guys think?**


	4. Run

**Chapter 3: Run**

"Nighthowler," Thomas said in a a trance like state while looking up at Nick and Judy. "What did you say kid?" Nick asked. Thomas held his head tight still hearing the whispers ever increasing phrase, saying the same thing over and over again. "Nighthowler," He repeated again, Nick grabbed Thomas by his collar and pulled him closer muzzle to face. "What about the Nighthowler?" Nick snapped aggressively showing his teeth.

While gripping on Thomas's collar Nick suddenly triggered the collar's shocking defense mechanism. It zapped him one good one causing him to grunt slightly. Nick let go of Thomas letting the collar shock him. The teen winced slightly as it started to burn into his neck. Judy jumped in between him and Thomas before things got out of hand.

"Nick that's enough!" Judy ordered looking up at her friend. "Carrots. We don't have time for this. Didn't you hear what he's saying?" Nick said pointing at Thomas. She crossed her arms and started tapping her foot. "Yeah I know what he said, but that doesn't give you a right to torture him," Judy said then calmed herself, proceeding to stop her foot tapping.

"Six hours until deadline," The woman on the computer warned. Suddenly the electric collars all flashed green and popped off from their necks. Thomas held his neck from burns of his collar. Even though it'd only been a day or two it still felt great to have it off. "Now what's going on?" Nick wondered, as he rubbed his own neck. Six years of having it on then suddenly having it off seemed to do wonders for his tense composure. He turned his attention to the computer. Thomas stood up still holding his neck while walking over to the computer. "You really didn't need to do that," Thomas said rubbing his neck tenderly.

Nick only rolled his eyes as he puts his paws behind his back and started to think. "Nick we need to do something about this," Judy said as she watched her friend paced back and forth. "I know carrots I'm thinking about it," Nick said still pacing. "What do you think? Should we just tell everyone about this?" Thomas suggested sitting down next to the computer. Nick shook his head before looking at Thomas. "Are you crazy kid? Everyone will be in a panic," He said before looking away from Thomas.

"And what were you talking about the Nighthowler?" Nick asked as he rubbed his chin. Thomas rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know. I was hearing some voices in my head and they were saying something about the Nighthowler," Thomas explained. Nick only chuckled. "Great that was useless," He said crossing his arms. Thomas made a fist with his right hand. "I don't see you coming up with any great ideas," He huffed in slight anger. Nick turned to stare at Thomas with a look of loathing and got into his face.

"You want me to come up with a great idea! Well fine kid!" Nick shouted in Thomas's face before he went over to the computer and kicked it one good one in the CPU. "One hour until deadline," The computer said now showing the countdown at one hour. "Nick look what did you!" Judy shouted and pushed Nick out of the way to look at the computer. "I.. he…" Nick tried to get the words out but couldn't. "Now we really should tell the others," Thomas decided and Nick glared at him.

"If it wasn't for you we would have more time," Nick snarled giving Thomas a shove. "Me?! You're the one who kicked it!" Thomas shouted as he shoved Nick back. "Guys! There's no time for this! Everyone might think there's something up anyways since our collars popped off," Judy explained. Nick and Thomas stopped trying to kill each other and looked at Judy. "You can rip each other's heads off later but right now I think we need to get to the others," Judy reasoned as she walked passed Thomas and Nick then headed back up to the surface. "Judy!" Nick called out but she didn't look back at her friend. She just kept going leaving Nick and Thomas alone. Nick glared again at Thomas before going after her.

"When this is over kid you're gonna get it!" Nick threatened as he went after Judy. Thomas only shook his head then followed behind Nick. Once Thomas was out of the bunker, the door closed by itself and relocked up. "That was strange," He said with a raised eyebrow looking at the bunker door. "Alright Thomas stay focused," He coached himself then shook his head as he started running back towards the others. He ran through the small forested area trying to catch up to Nick and Judy who were so far ahead of him. "Guys wait up!" Thomas called out, but the two were too far ahead. He tried his best to try and catch up to them, but Nick and Judy were just too fast for Thomas. Fox and bunny benefits were almost cheating.

Thomas tripped and fell forward, landing on his face. "Ouch," He grunted in pain as he helped himself up. Suddenly he felt a sharp in his head as he fell backwards onto to the ground. Thomas held his head as he started to get a massive headache. A massive ringing started to echo throughout his head. He started to see some flashbacks of himself as a kid playing with a girl on a playground. Thomas tired to stand but couldn't tripped over a log and fell on his back again. He gasped and stared up into the sun setting in the sky. "What am I doing here?" Thomas whispered to himself. Everything started to fade away as another memory rushed to his skull.

 **(Flashback)**

"Thomas you know what they're doing to these animals is wrong," A Girl with silvery blue eyes with blackish blonde hair said implored him. He looked at his friend with a tinge of remorse in his eyes. "I know Kayla but it's the way with world works now," Thomas said looking at back the window into the surgery room. She shook her head before looking into the surgery room with him. Two doctors were working on a snow leopard doing horrible DNA testing and tests to find out how these animals evolved talk and do the things most humans do in everyday life.

"I know that this is the way it has to be but I just…..my heart can't handle it with these people..and it doesn't mean I have to like it..." Kayla said as she stood up and walked to the nearest exit. Kayla stopped at the exit door and looked at her friend who was still watching the procedure. "Thomas?" She said softly.

Thomas turned and looked at Kayla. "Yeah?" He asked. Kayla looked to the ground before asking her question. "If you ever meet one of them..be sure to….you know..take of care them," She said with a slight plea in her tone. Thomas nodded before looking to the ground. "Because I know we're better than the people who invaded their home," Kayla said just as she left the room. Thomas sat there for a moment and thought about what his friend had said to him. He knew she was right. The way we are as humans, the ultimate predator now picking at these animals and invading their home. Killing off families and taking away their children from their parents and for what? To find the key to animal Communication? Thomas had enough of this as he stood up his seat and started hitting the glass and shouting. "Stop!" Thomas shouted and shouted like a madman.

 **(Present Day)**

Thomas heard something explode as it shook him out of his memory. He sat up quickly as he looked up at saw a jet carrying a box that was heading for the main camp. "Shit what now?" He asked no one in particular as he shot up from the ground and started running towards the camp. Nick and Judy had already made it to the camp as Thomas was running out from the forest. Everyone was looking up seeing that they were getting another care package. "Another care package?" Mr. Otterton observed and looked up at the sky. The jet then let go of the package and landed on the ground with a loud 'THUD'.

Everyone started to gather around the package but were stopped when they heard Thomas's frantic voice. "NO! GET AWAY FROM THAT!" He shouted as he ran towards the group. "Wilde Keep that kid under control!" Bogo ordered. "Sir there's something going on that you should know about-" Judy began as she stood in front of Bogo. "Not now Hopps we have care package here and right now is the time to take this advantage and use it," Bogo said as he patted his paw on it.

"Chief no!" Nick shouted, but it was too late, Bogo opened the package and was shot in the neck with a neon red serum. "Sir?" Judy asked and placed her paw on his leg. Bogo turned quickly and looked at Judy with his Orange eyes turning black. Bogo got down on all fours and tried to run down Judy. She quickly jumped out of the way causing Bogo to hit a large rock with his horns. The rock cracked and split in half. Nick ran over to Judy and tried to help her up.

"Nick it's happening again!" Judy shouted as she took Nick's paw. "Yeah I know it is Carrots," Nick agreed while he helped her up. "Get down!" Thomas commanded before pushing both Nick and Judy down to the ground. "What's the matter with you?" Nick demanded rubbing his head. "You don't want touch that serum," Thomas said as he moved over to a boulder with Nick and Judy right behind him. "Kid we know what's going on with the serum," Nick said ducking for cover from the boulder. "It's the Nighthowler," Judy spoke up. Hearing those words again triggered another flashback.

 **(Flashback)**

"We call it Nighthowler II, it's more advanced than the original. You see the original Nighthowler only resets the animals back to their Stone Age state, but with this new advanced version, we can reset them back to their primal state while also shutting down the receptors in their brain. It also works on the prey as well. I mean who wouldn't want to see Prey versus Prey, Predator versus Predator, or even the ultimate predator "The Human race" face off these animals in the future of warfare," The spokesman announced with a smile as the crowd cheered. "This guy makes me sick," Kayla said as she stood up from her seat. Thomas got up as well and walked out with his friend.

"Hey Kid!"

 **(Present Day)**

Thomas was snapped out of his vivid imaginings and looked at Nick who was trying to get attention. "Guys this isn't your everyday Nighthowler. This one does much more damage," Thomas explained now hearing some others were being shot with the serum. This wasn't going to end well.. "What are you saying?" Nick asked. Thomas tried to think for a second but couldn't since half of the predators and some of the prey have already been hit with the new serum.

Thomas looked over to his right to see the Ottertons hiding behind a tree. "I'll explain that later but right now we all need to get to safety," Thomas said as he looked back at Nick. Judy looked past Thomas and Nick and noticed the Ottertons trying to hide. "He's right Nick," Judy agreed putting her paw on Nick's arm.

Nick turned around and noticed what Thomas and Judy were talking about. "Alright let's go," He nodded said as he, Thomas and Judy were ready to dash past the care package and past everyone infected with the serum. "Go!" Nick shouted before he, Thomas and Judy made a break for the Ottertons.

Nick and Judy were running far ahead while Thomas dragging behind. Two Black Bears started fighting and slamming each other down on the ground. Thomas had almost run into them but stopped right in his tracks so he didn't get killed in the crossfire. "Nick!" Judy said turning around seeing Thomas was left behind. Nick stopped and turned to look at Thomas who was standing there watching the bears fight. "Damn it kid," Nick shook his head then he started to go back for the boy he loathed.

Thomas looked for another way to get past bears but every time he found one the bears rolled in the way. He waited for a sure opening before jumping through. Once Thomas saw the opening he jumped through the bears fight and fell right onto Nick. "Really kid? I was coming back for you!" Nick groaned in protest rubbing his head. "Just shut it and run!" Thomas shouted as he grabbed Nick by the shirt and pulled him up.

The two Black Bears stopped fighting each other and charged at Thomas and Nick. "Nick! Thomas!" Judy called out as she watched her friends being chased by the infected bears. "Judy! Get the Ottertons out of here!" Nick shouted while he and Thomas continued to run. The ground suddenly started to shake as Judy looked to her left and saw a cave opening up from a large metal door. "Mr. Otterton we all need to over to that cave opening," Judy rushed them to their feet and pointed at the large door that was opening.

"But we don't know where that goes!" Mr. Otterton said as Judy tried to push him towards the cave. "I know but we don't have much choice! Now get your family out and be safe," Judy insisted. Mr. Otterton nodded as he started to gather his family and headed towards the cave with Judy right behind them. "I hope they will be alright," She said to herself.

Meanwhile Thomas and Nick ran through the forest trying to get away from the bears. "We can't shake them Kid!" Nick shouted as he looked back and saw the bears gaining on them. "Give me your paw!" Thomas shouted. "What? Why?!" Nick asked confused. He didn't hold hands with anyone except Judy even on the best of terms. "To do this!" Thomas grabbed Nick's arms and threw him up in the air into a tree.

Thomas continued running leaving Nick in the trees. "Kid what are doing?!" Nick shouted holding onto a tree branch. "Use the trees to get back to Judy! I'll circle around and head back you're way!" Thomas called back trying to outrun one of the bears. One bear that was after Nick started to climb up the tree. "Oh no you don't!" Nick said as he started to jump through the trees to get back to Judy.

Judy and the Ottertons stayed clear from the other predators and prey who were shot with the serum. She waited next to the opened door waiting for Thomas and Nick to come back. Her hopes were answered when Nick jumped from a tree and started running for Judy and the cave. "Come on Nick!" Judy shouted. Nick ran as fast as he could and made into the cave with relative ease. "Nick wheres Thomas?" Judy asked. Nick was holding himself with his paws on his knees nearly passing out from being almost out of breath.

"He..he…he's coming carrots," Nick said trying hold himself together. "Look!" Mrs. Otterton pointed outside. Judy and Nick both turned and saw Thomas running towards the cave with the bear still running after him. "Thomas come on!" Judy shouted now worried her friend would be too tired to run any longer. "Come on kid you get this!" Nick shouted. Things were looking good until the doors of the cave started to go down.

"Oh no," Judy said as she looked up and saw the doors were seeking themselves up again. "Thomas hurry up!" Nick shouted. Judy looked at Nick in confusion. 'Wow he really call Thomas by his name,' she thought to herself. It was now cutting it close. The point of no return. Thomas, the Bear and the door were all heading for a run down. Judy and Nick both had to kneel down on the ground to see where Thomas was. Thomas had to make a more risky move and he slid into the cave as the door closed behind him. There was a loud banging as the bear was now trying to break down the door but had no luck. The lights in the cave blinked on as Thomas laid on the floor breathing hard. "You okay kid?" Nick said as he handed out his paw. He grabbed Nick's paw and started to sit up with a huge tired sigh. "Yeah I'm okay," Thomas responded sitting up. "Good," Nick chuckled slightly at their luck.

"Um guys you might want to see this," Judy said from the back wall. Thomas and Nick looked at each other before walking to the back wall. "Mommy I'm scared," Hope, Mr. and Mrs Otteron's Daughter said to her mother. Mrs. Otterton looked down at her daughter and held her close along with her son. Thomas and Nick both looked at the back wall and noticed it was just a large screen showing a few words. "Stage 1 complete?"

Thomas said out loud. Suddenly the screen scanned Thomas's bar coded arm and repeated the numbers. "Subject 62585 approved," The computer wall said. The doors of the back wall started shining a bright light from sun inside the cave. Since it was so bright they all had to cover their eyes as the door opened.

"Oh Great," Thomas, Nick and Judy said at the same time.

* * *

 **XxTHOMASxX: This is the last remastered chapter. we will be updating really soon! tell us what you guys think of remastered chapters. And I give all my thanks to AtticusParker17for doing these remastered chapters and again we will be updating this really soon!**


	5. The Deeper We Go

**Chapter 4: The Deeper We Go**

"Oh Great," Thomas, Nick and Judy said at the same time. They all looked out into a canyon that went on for miles. "Oh dear what are we going to do?" Mrs. Otterton held her kids close to her with a worried look on her muzzle. Judy looked at the Ottertons and approached them. "Mr. and Mrs Otterton," She got their attention. and stood in front of them. "Yes Judy?" Mrs. Otterton answered with a mock brave look on her face. You could tell she was trying to stay strong. Before Judy answered she looked through the cave and thought of an idea. "Why don't you take your family and wait over near the cave? Thomas, Nick, and I will think of something to get us out of here," She explained with a warm smile to keep things calm and collected. Mr. and Mrs. Otterton both looked at each before looking back at Judy with a nod in agreement. The parents took their kids back over to the cave. Judy walked back over to Nick and Thomas to plan.

"So what do we do now?" She asked with her paws on her hips. Thomas kneeled down and took a closer look at the cliff. "It looks like there's a way down from that path over there," He deduced, gesturing at the path way. Nick and Judy both looked at where Thomas was pointing at. "Good work kid," Nick said with a smile. Thomas chuckled and stood up turning his attention towards the sun. "But it looks like we'll have to leave in the morning," He said when he noticed sun was starting to creep behind the hills.

"Yeah you're right. The sun's about to go down and it'll be too hard for us to see the trail in the dark," Nick nodded with his arms crossed. "Then we should better get some rest," Judy suggested as she started to head back for the cave. "Yeah we should," Thomas nodded and followed her. Nick started on his way to follow Thomas and Judy back to the cave, but then stopped in his tracks when he heard something in the distance.

"Wait! Do you guys here that?" He asked in an urgent time. Thomas and Judy both stopped and looked at him. "I hear it too," Judy nodded. Thomas was confused, he couldn't hear like them since he was only human. His ears weren't nearly as developed. They all looked towards the canyon and saw a jet with another care package. "Everyone get inside the cave!" Nick shouted as he, Judy and Thomas made a run for the cave entrance. The Ottertons moved deeper into the cave as the others were running to get inside. The jet dropped off the care package and left.

Thomas and Nick peaked outside and looked at the care package. "Should we open it?" Thomas asked. Nick opened his mouth to say something, but they both heard the sound of the care package opening. They waited for the Nighthowler to come flying out of the box, but nothing was happening. Judy left the cave and walked over to the box curiously. "Judy wait!" Nick warned, but she was already next to it. She looked into the box with confused look on her face. "Its camping supplies!" Judy called out.

The boys both sighed with relief at the same time. Nick recovered first and walked over to check out the supplies for himself. "Great we can start a fire. Thank goodness." He let out a small smirk. "And here I thought we'd have to eat Carrots here." The fox gestured to Judy as she tried to elbow him but dodged like the sly animal he was. "Whaaat? Just trying to lighten the mood."

"Not funny." Her nose twitched slightly in annoyance while Thomas chuckled slightly. Judy noticed and turned her glare on him. "What's so funny?"

"You two." Thomas was still laughing slightly. "You'd make for a great couple."

"Ack! Thomas stop talking!" Nick's face went bright red. Meanwhile Judy looked as if she was imagining how that would go. "It definitely would be interesting." She nodded in agreement. Nick's jaw dropped at this response. "Let's just get these supplies sorted already." He was eager to change the subject. Thomas decided to drop it and looked through the box with them.

After a thorough check they counted two backpacks, one human sized and one smaller animal sized, a box of rations, 4 gallons of water, a medical supply kit, cooking ware, a tinder box, and 6 sleeping bags. Whoever dropped the package knew just the right amount to give. Whichever begged the question: Were they watching right now?

By now the sun was completely gone so Judy turned her phone flashlight on, so Thomas could set up the fire. There'd been quite a few bits of dried wood laying about. Add that to the tinderbox and they were golden. In no time at all a fire was burning brightly into the night. Everyone, including the Ottertons gathered their sleeping bags by the flames and used to sit. Emmitt sat by Thomas while his wife put the children to bed.

"So..." Judy fumbled with her paws slightly before looking up at Thomas who was across from her. "Before all this..you said something about...the nighthowlers.." She looked more than worried. "Where did you hear that from?"

Thomas looked away slightly. "Well..I started getting it back..." He responded but kept his eyes on a particularly unremarkable rock. "My memory I mean...stuff about the past..what brought me here.." There was a dead tone in his voice. Even as he spoke the words he felt resistance in telling them. What good would it do to hide information though? If they were on the run together they'd need to know everything.

"I...well.." He didn't even know where to start. Before anything else could leave his lips though he felt a gentle paw on his left shoulder. When he turned his head he saw Nick eye to eye with him.

"Hey it's alright." The fox reassured him. "Just tell us one piece at a time ok?" He smiled warmly at Thomas. "We promise we'll listen to what you have to say."

Thomas relaxed slightly with smile. "Ok...nighthowler 2..it's a drug that's supposed to make a animal, predator or prey, go feral." He explained. "The humans I was with experimented it on a lot of the animals from zootopia as a way to...try and figure out why you're as advanced as we are."

Nick's face turned from warm to worry in no time flat. "But why? What do they care how we do these things?"

"Part of the human folly is that our curiosity doesn't allow us to enjoy things." Thomas lamented to himself. "Instead we have to poke and prod at the wolf in order to appreciate its fangs. That's what my friend, Kayla told me."

"She sounds pretty wise." Mr. Otterton chimed in. Having not heard him much before Thomas was a bit surprised to hear the little utter.

"She is.." Thomas nodded in agreement. "She believed we could communicate with you all without all this testing. After a few days with you all it looks like she was right." He concluded. "Now we just need to get the entire human race to agree."

"Well don't you make it sound easy?" Nick remarked and shook his head. "There's little to no chance in convincing humans of our innocence as a snowless day in tundra town."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Thomas raised an eyebrow.

"I mean most humans aren't like you and Kayla...they hurt people Thomas. I'm sure you know that first hand." The fox sighed.

It was silent after that, not a word was said except the thoughts on the wind's breath. Thomas now understood what Nick was trying to say and he was right. The human race only believes in the way of control. They're are terrified of change and they only want to evolve little by little until they came here and started to take control like humans were born to do. "Alright maybe we all should get some rest for the morning," Judy clapped her paws together. Thomas nodded before he took a deep breath and stood up. They didn't need the smoke trail to be seen by morning so he kicked some dirt into the fire to snuff out the remaining flames.

Everyone quietly scooted into their sleeping bags and laid down. Thomas laid on his back and stared up into the stars. He started to think about what he told his...friends about Nighthowler 2. He wished he knew more about the past but he still couldn't pin point it. All the pieces lied where they fell, but he just couldn't put them together properly. Something was missing. Thomas sighed as he turned over to his right and noticed Nick and Judy were sleeping close to each other. He only smiled as he closed eyes and went to sleep.

 **(Dream)**

"No! You can't do this to him!" Kayla shouted as she fought off some guards. Thomas weakly opened his eyes and witnessed her trying to fight to get to him. "Kay...Kayla?" He said weakly. "If you take him! He won't be the same!" She shouted as a guard was keeping her back. Thomas started to stand and walked towards to Kayla. "Leave her alone!" He shouted. The guards and Kayla all looked at Thomas as he weakly stood by the doors of the van. "Take care of subject 62585!" Shouted a guard that was holding Kayla back. Suddenly Thomas felt something hit the back of his neck. He was out before he hit the ground only hearing the screams coming from Kayla.

"Thomas,"

 **(End of Dream)**

"Thomas," Nick repeated softly as he shook Thomas's shoulder. Thomas opened his eyes and looked up at the Fox. "Yeah?" He whispered. "Come with me and scout out the trail," Nick asked before he walked over to the end of the cliff. Thomas sat up and rubbed his eyes. He looked around and noticed everyone else was still sleeping. Without further delay stood up and grabbed the human sized backpack and followed Nick. After a few minutes of going down the trail away from the group, Thomas and Nick started talking at an outside voice rather than a whisper.

"So what are we doing out here?" Thomas asked as they walked down a steep hill. "I just want to make sure there's no danger ahead of us," Nick answered. Thomas nodded. "And what if danger finds us first?" He asked. The fox stopped for a moment to look at him. "Kid I live for danger. I was a cop once before all of this," Nick responded with a smirk. Thomas chuckled. "Okay Officer," He nodded smiling back. Nick only shook his head as he started walking again. "So how come you didn't ask Judy to go with you?" Thomas asked as he walked beside Nick. "Well I guess I just don't want her to get hurt out here," Nick answered.

Thomas looked down at the fox. "Judy seems like she can handle herself pretty well," Thomas added. Nick only chuckled. "Yeah she can. She's the type that will try everything in order to keep everyone safe," Thomas nodded in response. "You two seem to have it good with each other," He said with a smile. Nick smiled and shook his head. "Again Thomas. No we're not a couple," Nick said simply. The boys then came to a dead end with a bunch of little caves entrances.

"Now what do we have here?" Nick wondered aloud while his eyes traveled along the sealed entrances. He walked forward and placed a paw on one of them. The metal was pretty cold on his paw pads, but it didn't respond to his touch. Thomas felt slightly uneasy upon seeing them. Just something about the entrances didn't feel quite right. Each of them had different symbols on them. The one that looked most familiar to him was a peculiar Octagon shape with what appeared to be a depiction of a flame inside of it.

"Ack!" Thomas groaned slightly when a sudden burning feeling seared across his arm. He held it up to see the code on his forearm was glowing bright red. Nick noticed this and ran to him to see. "Nick my arm feels like it's been dipped in lava!" Thomas panted then covered it with his hand. In an instant it stopped burning.

"What was that about?" Nick inquired taking a step forward. Thomas stepped back and didn't let the fox come any closer without first covering his arm with a rag. "I don't know. One moment I looked at the doors and the next the code was having a reaction. Perhaps it's the key to opening them...like the bunker.." He was tempted to uncover it to see.

"Hmm...i wouldn't do that just yet." Nick shook his head. "Not yet anyway.

"But it's our way in." Thomas reasoned.

"It's also a way out for whatever could be in there." Nick responded.

Thomas nodded in agreement. He and Nick both looked at the door before looking at each other. "I think we should head back to others," Thomas suggested. There was nothing more that could be done here. Nick nodded. "Yeah I think your right," He said as he and Thomas started walking back. When they both walked back up hill and back to the main cave, everyone was already up and packing up their things "Nick! Thomas!" Judy shouted and ran over to the boys. "What happened to you guys!? And did where you go?" Judy asked in worried tone.

"Calm down carrots we just went out and scouted ahead," Nick said as he took a drink of water. She glared at her friend. "Then explain the burn mark on the bar code," She tapped her foot impatiently. Thomas and Nick looked at each other. "Alright carrots you got us... There was a dead end down there with a bunch of small caves with metal doors on them. They were covered in these weird symbols and his arm started glowing. He had to cover it before it almost opened one of them," Nick explained with his arms crossed. Judy only shook her head as she took a look at Thomas's arm.

"This doesn't look so good," She placed her paw on his arm which was now was red. "I'm fine Judy," Thomas said with a fake smile. It still itched a little like you wouldn't believe. "See carrots he's fine," Nick reassured her as he patted him on the back. Judy looked up at thomas and then looked at Nick. "You guys shouldn't have gone out there alone," Judy scolded then took out the med kit and applied ointment to the wound and wrapped a bandage around the barcode.

"Alright so what do we do now?" Nick asked everyone. The otterton family looked at Thomas for a moment before huddling together to decide. Meanwhile Thomas had one answer already in mind. 'It'd make sense to keep going forward to the other caves but...it could be a trap. Why would they give me this mark if I used it to benefit the Zootopian race? If anything this could be a sick joke to lead us to our death.' He thought pretty hard while Nick and Judy exchanged glances.

The fox and bunny both looked pretty worried but didn't say anything. However, the worried looks on their faces spoke volumes. There was a collective cough from the Ottertons to get the Three friends' attention. They looked at the very small otters for their answer. Mrs. Otterton Stepped forward first.

"I..think we should move forward into the caves you guys found." She gave her vote. "Whatever is there is better than waiting out here while food and water run out. We could try the steep canyon but my children couldn't make that climb." She explained. Thomas looked at Mr. Otterton who promptly nodded in agreement.

"I don't know about this." Judy spoke up, much to Nick's surprise. "We've no idea where it could go, what's in there, or how we'll get out again." The rabbit sighed deeply. "However, we haven't much choice do we?"

Nick shook his head. "I'm afraid not Carrots. We just have to hope for the best. Thomas..what do you think? Your opinion counts for a lot more considering it's your mark."

At first Thomas didn't say anything. That was a big choice to make. One that'd probably get them killed...or worse. Like Judy said though...there wasn't much of a choice in the matter. "I think...we should be careful." He answered and looked up from the ground to his comrades eyes. "We can't go in without caution in our step. If we go in I go first with Judy backing me up and Nick behind the Ottertons. That way we can have a defense on all sides just in case." Thomas concluded then awaited their response.

"I'm with ya kid." Nick was the first to answer. "You're the only one with a solid plan here."

"I'm with Nick on this one.." Judy nodded slowly. "We need a plan of action and you've got one."

"Then it's settled." Mrs. Otterton concluded.

Thomas nodded his head and stood up. After a quick inventory check he slung his bag on. "Alright let's head out." He politely commanded and everyone got into formation. It took no time at all to get back to the three cave entrances. Thomas's arm started to burn again slightly under the bandages. He grunted slightly as he walked up to the octagon marked door. It started to pulse slightly at his presence. "Are we ready?" He turned his head Bach to ask everyone. They all nodded. "Ok.." Thomas placed his hand on the cold metal door. In an instant it glowed brightly.

The sounds of gears turning could be heard from the inside. With every clink and grind of the inner locks disengaging the tension in their chests built up. Slowly the door lowered itself down into the ground. Nothing but blackness could be seen ahead. "Ok...here goes something.." Thomas breathed and walked into the unknown veil darkness, his closely in tow.

Thomas's eyes widened when he saw what was in front of him. "Keep the kids back!" He warned everyone. Mrs. Otterton grabbed her kids and took them outside of the cave. Thomas, Nick, Judy and Emmett stayed in the small cave. A black panther was dead on the ground with it's veins popping out while glowing red. "Is this what happens with the Nighthowler 2?" Judy asked with her ears down. Thomas kneeled down and looked closely. The panthers eyes were still open, only showing a dead vessel. He looked down to the ground before answering. "yeah this is what happens," He nodded in a dead tone as he placed two fingers on the panthers eyes and closed them. "Oh my," Emmett sighed looking to the ground.

Judy started to tear up a bit. Nick noticed this and held her close to his shoulder. Thomas stood up and turned to look at his friends. "Alright on to door number two," He started walking out of the cave. Nick, Judy and Emmett all followed Thomas as the door started to close behind them. Emmett pulled his wife away from their kids who were playing in the dirt and rocks around them. He explained what happened in the small cave. Mrs. Otterton gasped and cried into Emmett's chest. Thomas watched as Mrs. Otterton sobbed into Emmett's arms. Thomas turned and looked at Nick and Judy. Judy looked to the ground with her ears down and tears flowing from her eyes. Nick tried to Comfort her while he rubbed her back. "It just seems the deeper we go... Bad things happen," Judy said in a depressing tone. Thomas turned and looked at the second door.

He didn't know what was behind door number two. But it was the only way to find a way out. Thomas walked over to the second door and scanned his arm making another mark on his arm. Nick noticed what he was doing and walked over to him. "You're gonna go through with this and see what's inside?" Nick asked. Thomas looked at Nick as his arm was being scanned. "If it's the only way to get out of this hell hole... Then yes," Thomas said trying to control the pain from his arm. 'Strong kid,' Nick thought to himself. The door opened up before them and they walked inside. There was no dead animal inside, only a gun on the ground. "Is it loaded?" Nick asked. Thomas picked up the gun to check. The extra weight on the gun says it all. "Yep it's loaded," He nodded as he cocked it back. "That can't be good," Nick said and crossed his arms. Thomas looked down at him. "Why do you say that?" Thomas asked. Nick only shook his head. "What if we have to use that in door number three?" Nick answered. Thomas opened to his mouth to say something but was cut short by Judy. "Use what?"

Judy asked as she stood in the opening of the cave. Thomas and Nick both turned and looked at their friend. "This," Thomas said as he walked over to Judy and handed her the gun. "A gun? What's it for?" She asked as she looked up at Thomas. He shook his head. "I don't know, but it must be for door number three," He answered. Judy looked down at the gun that was in her paws. "I hope we don't have to use this," She said as she handed back the gun.

"Me too," Thomas replied and put the gun in the back pocket of his jeans. Judy nodded as she walked out of the cave. Thomas and Nick followed her outside as the door started to close. Mrs. Otterton Had stopped crying and Wiped her tears away when she approached Thomas. "Anything useful in the second cave?" Mrs. Otterton asked looking up at Thomas. Hecthought for a second before answering. "A gun," He replied. Mrs. Otterton gasped. "A gun? What could it be for?" Mrs. Otterton asked. Thomas then looked towards the final door. "We're going find out in a second," He sighed as he walked over to the third door. The Ottertons gathered their kids and got in line behind Judy while Nick got behind them. Thomas did his thing with his arm getting another burn mark. This time, Thomas could handle the burn on his arm since he had already done it twice. The door started to open and Thomas put his hand on the gun and pulled it out. It was dark at first as they all walked into the cave. Two glowing eyes got Thomas's attention. "Wait!" He said putting his hand out to keep everyone back. The figure then jumped out trying to attack them.

Everyone jumped back against the wall in fear. The kids screamed and holding on to their parents. The figure was a lion with a red glowing scar running down its left eye. Judy looked closely at the lion trying to keep herself calm. "Mayor Lionheart," Judy said breathing hard. "What?!" Thomas said while pointing the gun at Lionheart. "It's mayor Lionheart! He was the mayor of Zootopia," Nick spoke up. Thomas looked closely into the lion's eyes and noticed something about them. "Lionheart," Thomas said in a whisper.

 **(Flashback)**

Kayla and Thomas both snuck into the restricted area of the prison center to visit one of animals of zootopia. "Are you sure about this Kayla?" Thomas asked as they crawled through the vents. "What you afraid of a little adventure Thomas?" Kayla chuckled at him. Thomas opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out since he bumped his head on the ceiling of the vent. "Ouch!" He cried out. Kayla stopped crawling and turned to look at Thomas. "You okay?" She asked. Thomas rubbed the top of his head before answering. "Yeah... But did you really have to bring Kermit? It just feels weird when he purrs on my side," Thomas answered. Kayla only laughed. "Yes! Thomas... Because the Zootopian we're going to see loves Kermit," She said with a smile. Thomas only rolled his eyes as they made it to their destination. Kayla kicked opened the vents opening and jumped down. Thomas picked up Kermit and handed him down to Kayla. He jumped down from the vent and followed Kayla to the restricted prison. She and Thomas both walked into a room with a lion in a Orange jumpsuit behind glass.

"Mayor Lionheart," Kayla said with a smile. The lion in question perked up in excitement putting his paws on the glass. "Kayla! Good to see you again!" He cheered. "Wait. That's the mayor of zootopia?" Thomas asked with a skeptical look. Kayla and Lionheart both looked at Thomas. Lionheart only smiled as he looked at the teen. "Why yes my young boy I am the mayor of zootopia," Lionheart responded with a puff in his chest. Thomas the pulled a chair over to the glass and sat down. "The main reason o brought here Thomas is to get to know Mr. Lionheart," Kayla said with a smile as she opened up another vent opening.

Kermit. Kayla's cat ran into the vent and went up and ended up on the other side of the glass. "Kermit!" Lionheart cried out as he started to pet Kermit. Kermit started purring and rubbing up against Lionheart. He picked up Kermit and held him as he purred. Lionheart purred with Kermit. Thomas smiled as the two cats purred. "So... What's it like being the mayor of zootopia?" Thomas asked leaning forward. Lionheart smiled and sat down next the glass. "Being mayor was one greatest jobs I've ever had," Lionheart said looking down at Kermit was laying next to the lion starting to go to sleep. "But let me tell about two fellow citizens of zootopia who changed everything since original Nighthowler. Nick wilde and Judy Hopps," Lionheart smiled.

 **(Present day)**

Thomas almost had tears in his eyes as the memory faded away. He lowered gun and looked down. Nick looked at him with a confused look on his face. "What are you doing Thomas?" Nick asked. Thomas put the gun away just looked at Lionheart. "I'm so sorry Lionheart that they did this to you," Thomas said as he took one step towards the exit. Before Thomas took another step he looked back the group. "Stay close me and stay close to the wall," He said as he continued walking. Mr. And Mrs. Otterton. Both stayed close to their children as they walked along. Nick and Judy both watched the Lionheart as he eyes were targeted at them. "He's too far gone to save," Judy said when she looked at Lionheart. "Come on carrots there's not much we could," Nick said as he puts his paws on her shoulders. She lowered her ears and walked along. Nick walked behind her as the door started to close. Nick looked back at Lionheart as the door closed behind him.

Nick looked forward at Thomas while rubbing the back of his neck. The fox then sighed and approached Thomas. "Thomas are you okay?" Nick asked sitting down next to the teen. Thomas didn't look at Nick he just nodded. Nick then took a deep breath and leaned forward while putting his elbows on his knees and his paws on his muzzle. "He told me about you guys," Thomas spoke up. Nick perked his ears up and looked at Thomas. "What?" asked the Fox, Thomas looked at Judy before looking back at Nick. "Lionheart told me about you and Judy and all the great things you did in zootopia," Thomas explained. Nick was speechless by this. The Fox himself bit his lip and tried to get his mind around this. "What stuff did he tell you about us?" Nick asked. Thomas looked at his friend in the eye and started to explain the past stories that Lionheart had told him.


End file.
